67 vets waiting for 1st appointments in New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A new audit of Veterans Affairs health care facilities finds 67 veterans have been waiting up to three months for their initial appointments with the New Jersey Health Care System.

The report released Monday also found that 402 veterans who enrolled in the VA in the last decade and requested appointments were never seen by a doctor.

Across the country, there are 57,000 veterans waiting for an appointment and 64,000 who have never been seen.

The VA’s New Jersey Health Care System operates two hospitals and several clinics, mostly in northern New Jersey. Southern New Jersey’s clinics are part of the Philadelphia operation.

The audit did not say whether New Jersey schedulers were told not to use the official electronic waiting list to make waiting times look more favorable.